Aftermarket Backup Camera Not Working

[matthewkristof]

I recently upgraded from a Pioneer double din headunit to a brand new Sony. Since my original afternarket camera was nearly seven years old, I decided to install a new one. This worked flawlessly for a few weeks until just the other day, the headunit displayed "no video signal" when in reverse.

I originally tapped the reverse line by the driver's side kick panel. I traced all my wiring back under the sills to the reverse camera in the rear hatch. Checked the RCA video cable and no loose connections (replaced that cable last year). No pinched wires or loose connections. Ran a fresh wire straight from the camera to the reverse in the front. Also tried adding a fuse tap for 12v power when the key is in the ignition and not just when it's in reverse. As a last ditch effort, I tapped the reverse line where the taillights are. Zilch. Nada. Rien.

I hesitate to say I have a defective camera since it was working fine for two weeks then all of a sudden, poof, no signal, but I'm kinda at a loss and really frustrated since I don't know what else it could be. Would my issue more likely be wiring or the video cable? This isn't my first time installing things in my car or taking things apart, so I know I did everything right since it was working fine for weeks.

Appreciate any insight that can be provided. Thank you!

 

[AuSeeker]

Hard to say, but I would suspect if you're getting power to the camera and it was working then maybe the camera has gone bad, not sure if you could hook it up to another device with a screen, like maybe a computer monitor, or IPad to see if you get video from the camera.

Another thought is contacting Crutchfield and see if they can help with advice on how to test the camera and or cable.

 

[matthewkristof]

Thank you for your reply.

I originally had it wired to a fuse tap, and it worked during testing and final wiring. However, after starting the car several hours later, I have the same issue as before. I thought that maybe a 7.5amp fuse wasn't enough juice, so I moved it to a 10amp one and had the same results.

I finally wired it to the reverse wire, and again, was fine during testing, and didn't work a few hours later. I finally got it to work now and has been stable for a few different drives now. I'll see how it is in the morning.

Barring a faulty camera (which still hasn't been ruled out), is there any issue with wiring the power for the camera straight to the reverse line? My HU has a function to see the camera outside of being in reverse, and I'd like to mod it with a switch in the future for simplicity. Is there a 12v power supply in the drivers side kick panel that is hot only when the key is in the ignition? I'm beginning to think that the fuse tap isn't a viable solution, however, I have used it for other power in the past with zero issues.

Or, do I have a larger issue I'm not seeing?

 

[Syr4RinNC]

I believe you may need to dig deeper into the camera power source. Some cameras are 12v and are designed to work independently of headunits - Ie a separate monitor. Usually headunits use 6V power sources.

There are fuse locations you can use that will power the camera when the vehicle is in "accessory" mode - IE key is in/ but ignition not started

 

[matthewkristof]

I’ve used the 7.5 and 10 amp slots in the fuse panel and have similar results. The camera is 12v so I guessed that the reverse line is enough power. There is an empty slot that is only on with the key in so I will try that.

I turned it on this morning and it worked fine. 10 minutes later, in the same drive/without turning the engine off, no signal found. Though it in theory should work, it might be the camera just not being compatible.

Are there any recommendations for a camera that would work for my rig?

 

[matthewkristof]

I'm seriously at a loss as to what I should do next.

I just retraced my wiring and re-tapped the reverse at the driver side kick panel, ran a fresh reverse line straight to the headunit, and wired the camera straight to a 10amp fuse via fuse tap (had no empty slots available that were hot only when the car was on).

I used the function on the headunit to turn the camera on when not in reverse. It works...for like 1 minute or so, then it cuts out. If the camera wasn't getting enough power, then it wouldn't be turning on at all.

It seems to work fine when first turning the car on; it gets a bit of juice right at startup to work, then somehow tapers off. I figured by tapping straight into the fuse box, the constant power while running should be enough. It's a separate power draw than the reserve line.

Seriously at a loss here. I've tried everything I know.

 

[crawlingjunk]

Where do you have your camera grounded at?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[matthewkristof]

A bolt in the rear hatch that holds the exterior panel that needs to be removed when adding the camera to the outside.

 

[riceandpho]

A bolt in the rear hatch that holds the exterior panel that needs to be removed when adding the camera to the outside.

i would tap the ground wire to the factory white with black, that is factory ground wire.

if all wired correctly, it should work, if not, its the camera, just search ebay, i dont they cost more than 25 bucks.

any part of the hatch is not a good ground. the ground wire traces back to the main harness.